Qatifi presidential election, 2015
Abdulaziz Al-Qazwini | after_party = UIRM }} The Qatifi presidential election of 2015 was held from the 31st July-4th August 2015. It was the second presidential election in Qatif that took place following the . The winner of the election was candidate Abdulaziz Al-Qazwini who wrested power from the Ba'athist president Mohammed Mujawar, meaning for the first time in Qatifi history it's president was not from the military or the Ba'ath Party. Qatif uses a voting system to determine the president, who is elected . Under the current 2011 constitution the president can be elected up to three four year terms. Islamist candidate Abdulaziz Al-Qazwini won the initial round getting 31% of the vote, with President Mohammed Mujawar coming second with 29% of the vote. As such, both candidates progressed into the second round that was held on the 7th August. In the second round Al-Qazwini won with 53% of the vote, resulting in him being elected as the fourth president of Qatif. Rules Candidates Ba'ath Party ]]As the largest party in the National People's Council and having dominated Qatif since Mustafa al-Karim's coup in 1962, every president of Qatif has come from the Qatif Branch of the Ba'ath Party. The current president, Mohammed Mujawar, is also the Regional Secretary of the Ba'ath Party and has been president since 2011. Mujawar was originally the last prime minister under former president Abdullah Rajab who had maintained a in Qatif after the Qatifi Civil War, and was chosen as the interim president following Rajab's resignation in response to the Palm Revolution. Mujawar was elected president in 2011 and introduced far reaching reforms that helped to democratise Qatif ceding more powers to the legislature - however he has been accused of due to the security forces still playing a huge role in politics. Mujawar enjoys the strongest support from the coastal cities of Qatif City and Dammam, as well as from the minority population. Mujawar however has reportedly faced a serious backlash in light of the 2015 Qassim University attacks in which Mujawar's response was seen as poor. Mujawar's perceived failure to protect Qatifi citizens from has also seen his unpopularity rise. As well as that Mujawar's efforts to take away some of powers the Armed forces and the Ministry of the Interior play in the Qatifi state has seen both organisations withdraw their support from Mujawar's government. Mujawar got 29% of the vote in the first round, coming second to al-Qazwini. In the second round he lost with 45% of the vote. It is alleged that the Ministry of the Interior advised their employees not to vote for Mujawar due to his erosion of the Ministry's power. The armed forces has been accused of similar allegations. Union of Islamic Revolutionary Mujahideen ]]The Union of Islamic Revolutionary Mujahideen (UIRM) is the largest opposition movement in Qatif. The UIRM promotes an based upon principles, and attracts support from northern regions close to the Iraqi and Kuwaiti boarders. Its candidate is Abdulaziz Al-Qazwini, a well known figure on the Qatifi political scene having been a prominent opponent to Sunni representation in the national legislature. The UIRM was a Shia militia formed in the Qatifi Civil War, and was trained by members and the . Al-Qazwini has been strongly critical of President Mujawar's policy regarding and the , stating that to ensure Qatif's peace it must actively fight against ISIL, the and . Al-Qazwini has also challenged what he perceives as 's increasingly hegemonic role in the region. He also has been a staunch opponent of Israel's policy regarding the , having called for the destruction of Israel. Following the Qassim University attacks , Al-Qazwini's popularity has sky-rocketed with many supporting his anti-Sunni views. Despite this many of the more hardline members of the party have criticised his nomination, citing that he has shown a consistent track record of supporting various secularist policies. International observers have also noted that despite being an Islamist, Al-Qazwini has shown himself to posses some moderate views. Al-Qazwini picked up 31% of the vote in the first round leading him to progress to the second round. He subsequently won with a narrow majority of 53% thus becoming the fifth president of Qatif. Constitutionalist and Nationalist Congress |left]]The Constitutionalist and Nationalist Congress is the third largest party in the national legislature, with its leader being Ahmed Faisal Nazer. The CNC was the only party other then the Ba'ath Party to field a candidate in 2011 presidential elections. Nazar is running on a pro-democracy program with neoliberal economic views and social liberal views, arguing state intervention is the root cause of Qatif's troubles. Nazar is expected to get support from large bushinesses and select liberals, although many commenter's have noted that Nazar lacks the same financial connections as the Ba'ath Party which would put him at a disadvantage. Nazar cam in third in the first round with 15% of the vote. Prior to the runoff election Nazar endorsed Mohammed Mujawar. Communist Party of Qatif ]]The fourth largest party in the national legislature, the Communist Party (HSQ) is the oldest political party in Qatif. However, for the majority of its existence the party was illegal having only been registered in 2011. It did not field a candidate in the last presidential election, but did win a large amount of seats in the legislative election that succeeded it. The HSQ's presidential candidate is its General Secretary Yusef Reza Jaafar. Jaafar has indicated that the party will no longer support and has instead called for the implementation of principles, arguing that communism and Islam are compatible. Jaafar has also called for complete state control of the economy, and support of intervention in the Syrian Civil War and in Palestine. Jaafar mainly rouses support in urban areas, although mistrust towards Jaafar stemming from his Iranian heritage has damaged his standing in rural communities. Jaafar got 8% of the vote in the first round being overtaken by al-Ulloum. Jaafar endorsed al-Qazwini in the second round. Qatifi Islamic Front |left]]The Qatifi Islamic Front is a former militia turned political party having been active since the late 1980's. Led by Ibn Shakir al-Ulloum the JIQ is thought to have split from the UIRM in the Qatifi Civil War due to idealogical differences. Currently the UIR hold a few seats in parliament, and in general support social conservative and pro-Shia views. The JIQ are noted to be more extreme then the UIR with al-Ulloum having called for a version of Sharia law to be implemented in Qaitf. al-Ulloum attained 12% of the vote in the first round meaning he came fourth, an unexpected result as many predicted the HIQ would take that place. al-Ulloum subsequently endorsed al-Qazwini. Justice and Faith Party ]]The Justice and Faith Party (HIW) is the largest party representing interests. Although it is nominally independent it has strong links to the , and promotes a similar platform of ideals. As such the party has little support outside of Sunni communities, and has only barely passed the 11% threshold needed to enter the National People's Council. The HIW's candidate is Daoud Hussein. Hussein has denied any connections to the Islamic Liberation Army, the infamous rebel militia that initiated the Qatifi Civil War and was involved in numerous human right abuses. Nevertheless Hussein has endorsed views based upon traditional Islamic values, having called for the implementation of a similar law system to in Qatif. Unsurprisingly, Hussein's main support comes from Sunni communities. Analysts have noted that whilst Hussein has little chance of winning, his nomination will effectively nullify the Sunni vote thus denying further votes to the secularist parties that Sunni's would otherwise support, and further splitting the Shiite vote. Hussein got 6% of the popular vote in the first round, and did not endorse any candidate. Opinion polls There were several polls prior to the election. The most well maintained poll was that of the Qatifi Electoral Commission, which used a combination of internet, telephone and field polls averaging out weekly results. Results First round Turnout: 4,519,682 (76%) Second Round In the second round the turnout was higher with 4,698,091 votes being cast. Aftermath Prior to the official announcement of the results President Mujawar allegedly tried to organise a coup against the soon to be inaugurated Al-Qazwini, trying to pass through a state of martial law and have the Ba'athist Revolutionary Guards arrest Al-Qazwini. However senior members of the Ba'athist Revolutionary Guards refused to take the action, forcing Mujawar to accept the election results. Reactions Domestic International Hizb Al-īmān Wal-Bina al-Jabhat al-Islāmiyyah al-Qaṭīf Al-Ittiḥād Al-Ištirākī Al-ʿArabī Al-Qaṭīf al-Hizb al-Shuyu'i fi al-Qaṭīf * - British Prime Minister Erica Victor expressed some doubts on the conduct of the election, although she did say it was more representative then the previous Qatifi election and welcomed dialogue with the new Qatifi government. Foreign minister Kyle Moore stated that Britain will "not tell Qatifi's who they should vote for". * - Iranian president congratulated Al-Qazwini in a private telephone call, whilst the Iranian foreign ministry called it a "triumph of democracy and Islam" and that the Iranian government looked forward to working with Al-Qazwini. * - Israeli prime minister questioned the conduct of the elections, accusing the Qatifi Army of rigging the results for the sake of foreign countries such as Iran. He also stated that Al-Qazwini's election was "dangerous". * - Syrian president congratulated Al-Qazwini for his election on behalf of both him and the Syrian people. * Trucial States - The Trucial States welcomed the democratic ideals of the election, but stressed that international monitors should have been present, as it is likely that results could have been tipped to favor a certain candidate. Category:Elections Category:Events Category:Qatif